This, obviously, is not a closet. However, you can see in the top right of the bookshelf, the organized portion of a stamp collection I inherited when I was around nine or ten, and which I was re-aquainted with this past week as I went for a plunge in my clothes closet. While flipping through some of the binders, I discovered that there were repeats of a number of never-used Canadian stamps, mostly, I believe, from the 80′s and early 90′s. So now I’m going to be using them to send mail whenever the occasion arises! Some of rather odd denominations (I have a significant supply of 17 cent stamps for example) Here are some photographs of the most striking…

Yes, Canada is one of the Commonwealth realms, and our titular head of state remains Queen Elizabeth 2. I was thinking that some of these stamps would go along well with the new diamond jubilee stamps – if I can get hold of some of the new queen stamps. (Didn’t have any luck last trip to the post office.)

Sadly the photography here is fuzzy, but I found just these four stamps of famous Canada-lit characters – including two of every Canadian’s favourite orphan, Anne Shirley (of Green Gables.) Write me to let me know if you want one of these!

I also found one stamp showing curling, a (if you ask me) very strange ice sport brought to Canada by Scottish emigrants. While on vacation in Texas, a fellow Manitoban Canadian asked me if I had any news about the provincial curling team scores. He was quite disappointed I had no information.

I like these stamps particularly well because they’re so bright, and I don’t see very many stamps which are of actual air photographs.

Stuff-

Also in the photograph of my bookshelf, you’ll perhaps notice a something in a frame under the table lamp. This is my first ever completed counted cross-stitch.It’s far from perfect (I ran out of thread and failed to properly match the replacement colors.) However, it kept me busy on the rainy days on the gulf, and I would not be entirely opposed to trying another project in the future.

In fact, I have a few (much smaller) patterns for culinary herbs that I’m contemplating for use in card making.

Outbound mail –

As for what mail I sent out last week – I was able to get a lot done – and only have two letters left before I can declare myself all caught up again. I am now able to look forward to mail delivery with pleasure again, rather then with dread! I also look forward to feeling like I have more time to indulge my mail-art tendencies again, over the past month I’ve been concentrating on just getting reply letters written and out, and haven’t been able to play around with envelope embellishments very much.

I did at last make use of a magazine cut-out I’ve had for a long while, of an elderly lady (she’s apparently an eastern European Romani lady, with her first cell phone.) The juxtaposition of age and tradition with modernity amused both myself and the magazine photographer. And I thought the quotation went with it well, too.

Went shopping today, and along with some other goodies, I stopped to pick up a few things for this mailing project. I already have a few local and cartoon cards, along with some stickers, but I was all out of international and us postage stamps, and my mailing for today is bound for Australia.

I am sending a postcard to a lady in rural Australia, where she has an enormous rose garden. It’s her birthday later this month, so I’m sending her birthday wishes with my card. This card shows the province of Manitoba’s Lieutenant Governor’s Residence – where the official representative of the Queen to the people of Manitoba, lives. In the summer, there is an extensive garden, and the residence has a large greenhouse. (In case you’re wondering, I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.)

Supplies

Because there is an upcomming rate change (stamps are going up in price in Canada on the 17th) the postal outlet I visited today did not have any international rate stamps left to sell. (I assume because they don’t want to have a bunch of old-rate stamps lying around on Jan. 18th) Instead, the lady behind the counter sold me a whole bunch of domestic rate stamps, with instructions to put THREE stamps on any mail going outside of Canada or the USA. A bit annoying, but okay.

Then, while at an arts supply store, I saw lovely floral bits on sale, and bought a package, believing them to be fancy stickers. Turns out, they’re not – but fortunately a little glue stick action solves the problem. Still, I probably wouldn’t have spent four dollars on the paper flower decorations if I’d realised they weren’t official stickers. I also picked up a couple of cheap ink stamps and an ink pad, with thoughts of applying them to an envelope or two in the future. (Yay extended boxing week sales!)

And finally, I wandered into a Hallmark store, looking for stationary. I found some, but it was super-expensive, and the plain stuff (without You’re Invited to Our Wedding! emblazoned upon it) was pretty ugly. I was just looking for an envelope-and-sheet set for everyday use – of course, I could use writting pad paper, with the lines, and a boring old white envelope, but I want to make this some what special. So, something a little more everyday then wedding invitation stationary, but something that shows thoughtfullness. I could, technically, write letters on the back of take-out menus, but that wouldn’t be right, now would it?

There is a Carelton Cards in the same mall as the Hallmark store, and just as I was leaving, I decided to take a chance and ventured in. There, I found some (comparitively) cheap sets, exactly like I wanted. So I am now the victorious owner of 40 “ecru” sheets and matching envelopes. I recieved a letter from a pen friend in Japan today, she always finds pretty or cute stationary, (this time it’s Mickey Mouse stationary) and now I have something decent to write back to her on.

In total, I spent a little under $25 on the stationary and the “stickers” and about $20 on stamps. I’ve budgeted $300 for this entire project, so I hope there won’t be another supply day like this one for awhile!

Two days ago I recieved a comment from Carolyn, who has a gardening blog over here.

A little girl named Tara that she knows of has been diagnosed with leukemia, and is stuck in hospital. Carolyn is requesting, with Tara’s parent’s permission, that those so willing, send “a card representative of your home state in the US or your country.” in order to provide a little bit of a cheer in this girl’s day. Carolyn asked if I’d like to help, and of course!

I will be posting an envelope with a couple of postcards to Tara today. One of the cards will have Winnie-the-Pooh on it! Winnie-the-Pooh is a character in a collection of children’s stories, and he is named after my city of Winnipeg!

If you’d like to send a postcard to Tara, please, feel free to do so! In case you can’t read the address from the photo above, here it is again.